I am a Christian, a patriot and a defender of liberty who tries to keep a sense of humor through the madness. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and work in the banking industry. I'm blessed with a beautiful wife who homeschools our three children. It has become evident Washington now embodies the gravest threat to freedom. We must restore the vision of the founders before it is too late. This prompted me to begin writing. In addition to Forbes, my work has appeared on American Thinker, RealClearReligion and elsewhere. I'm also a contributing writer for The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. My book, The Courage to do Nothing, will likely be the most politically incorrect take you'll ever read on economics. Please contact at billflax2@yahoo.com.

Is 'Shutting Down Government' A Threat Or A Promise?

Another year and the White House unleashed yet another insult to the very concept of a budget. Last year, with Democrats in full control, our minders couldn’t even get a budget passed. Now President Barack Obama, seeing government as both a means and an end, proposes to elevate spending by $8.7 trillion over the next ten years. Substantially all of his “cuts” come after his re-election and most arrive so far into the horizon that only a fool would give them credence.

Obama’s budget preserves the prolific discretionary spending of his first two years, only this budget adds 20%. He similarly ignores the unfolding entitlement disaster that now dominates federal spending. His budget, even assuming robust growth, invokes average annual deficits exceeding $1 trillion over the coming decade.

On the other hand, Republicans rode to power preening about major spending cuts. House Speaker John Boehner vowed, “Read my lips, we’re going to cut spending.” Then he impotently trims but $100 billion off the existing $3.82 trillion pace. Republicans offer immediate cuts of $61 billion from “discretionary non-security” programs in 2011, but that represents less than 2% of total outlays.

Politicians order the most fattening dish on the menu then congratulate themselves for the frugality of the diet soda used to wash it down. Why would we freeze spending anywhere near current obscene levels? Why is there any discretionary spending? Given our monstrous deficits, discretion demands that this must cease.

House Republicans essentially left the Democrats’ largesse intact by virtue of lowering Obama’s massive deficits by what amounts to little more than a rounding error. Not surprisingly, the president threatened to veto the House’s Continuing Resolution bill, Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats then played the “government shut-down” card, and Republicans have recoiled from the threats. These may be shrewd political stratagems, but reflect politicians’ complete contempt for those paying their way.

The projected fiscal 2011 deficit of $1.65 trillion equals the entirety of federal spending in 1998. If memory serves, those weren’t the Dark Ages. In 2001, total outlays were less than half of today’s level. What has this profligacy accomplished?

There are powerful forces working feverishly to prevent fiscal sanity. The sorry spectacle in Wisconsin highlights the difficulty of actually reducing spending. If Democrats can’t get their way they take their ball and go home. Public unions hold states hostage. Our Community-Organizer-In-Chief shamelessly encouraged this outrage. Why not, his fiscal stewardship has been pitiful so he reverted to the devil he knows: agitation.

America fast approaches several tipping points. Taxes have grown steadily more progressive across successive presidencies including numerous redistributionist credits ensconced in the tax code. Per the Heritage Foundation, “the country may be rapidly approaching a point where one-half of ‘taxpayers’ do not pay taxes, while receiving generous federal benefits.” These folks have no real interest in fiscal discipline.

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